Hi Global Recap readers,
My take: not technologically, but personally—maybe.
What looks like “courting China” (much like Canada under PM Carney) reads more like positioning than capture:
signaling to the US that London has options, in hopes Washington will be more responsive to its needs
hedging against US unpredictability
That said, it’s easy to see why people are connecting dots:
reports of China hacking Downing Street’s phones
approval of a “mega embassy” in London (reportedly with 208 secret rooms) sited next to sensitive communications infrastructure
trip to China.
You be the judge. 👇🏼
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Starmer Courts China
British PM Starmer has landed in Beijing for the first visit to China by a British PM since 2018.
Many are calling this "hedging" against an unpredictable US.
But some conspiracy theorists have another theory...
Arrival. Starmer began the visit on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, telling a delegation of more than 50 business leaders they were "making history."
His message: engage the world’s second-largest economy for concrete benefits back home, but stay alert to security risks.
On Thursday morning, the Starmer-Xi meeting began at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Risks. But of course, there's significant baggage here:
Disputes over Hong Kong
China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war,
Concerns about alleged Chinese spying on politicians and officials.
Hedging or Compromised?
Remember when we questioned why the UK approved China’s proposed “mega-embassy”? Implicit in that was:
“does China have dirt on UK politicians?”
This is because reports suggest China hacked Downing Street’s phone lines for years.
Brief. According to Telegraph, Chinese state-backed hackers targeted the phones of senior officials in Downing Street over several years, including aides to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak between 2021 and 2024.
It is not clear whether any PM’s own phone was compromised, but one person described the breach as going "right into the heart of Downing Street."
That matters now because it raises the possibility that PM Starmer and senior staff may also have been compromised, after MI5 issued an "espionage alert" to Parliament in November 2025.
Scope. Intelligence sources believe that the activity is tied to a Chinese espionage operation known as Salt Typhoon, and US-linked reporting suggested it could still be ongoing.
Embassy. And what makes this worse is that these breaches were discovered in 2024.
Even after being informed of this, the UK has approved plans for a large Chinese embassy with 208 secret rooms—one of them being just about a meter (3.3 ft.) away from a sensitive communications infrastructure.
Completely eliminating the risks of approving a “mega-embassy” is nearly impossible, of course. However, given what we know about the hack and everything else, it certainly raises questions.
🇮🇷 IRAN
Trump Pressures
Iran Nuclear Talks
Trump warned Iran that "time is running out" to accept a nuclear deal, and he paired it with an ultimatum about US military assets moving into the region.
Critics: Many critics view Trump’s call for “negotiations” as weakness—effectively bargaining with terrorists who massacre their own people.
Supporters: Others see it as pragmatic, arguing that military action can easily backfire amid so many unknowns and unforeseen consequences.
Post. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social:
Rebuff. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on television that diplomacy pursued through military threats "cannot be effective or useful," and he told Washington to drop threats and what he called excessive demands.
A photo allegedly showing Iranian security forces positioned in a school in Arak, Iran.
💭 Thoughts.
A US intervention would be a huge gamble for Trump. Reports suggest he’s contemplating a swift, “Venezuela-style” grab, (a quick capture of Khamenei). But if it stalls or fails, the fearsome image polished by Maduro's capture could collapse overnight.
And here’ the important factor: almost everyone expects any strike to come on a weekend, when markets are closed. If we know, Iran knows. In fact, there are already photos and reports alleging the regime is positioning forces in at least one school—baiting a PR disaster if the US hits.
So when's the move? Weekend or weekday? I don’t know. But if it happens and civilian sites are struck, expect instant outcries of “war crimes” and “genocide."
🇪🇺 EUROPEAN UNION
France & Spain
Finally Back IRGC Blacklisting
French President Emmanuel Macron
France and Spain finally moved to back an EU blacklist of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IFGC), after initially showing reluctance to label it a terrorist organization.
Turn. On January 28, the Élysée said France supports the designation of the IRGC on the EU terrorist list, and Spanish Foreign Ministry sources confirmed Madrid would vote in favor.
That matters because France and Spain had been two of the biggest holdouts when the idea resurfaced after Iran's Islamic regime massacred protesters.
The shift comes one day before foreign ministers sit down in Brussels to debate the issue again.
Case. The IRGC is accused of orchestrating:
violent repression inside Iran
supplying weapons to Russia
launching ballistic missiles at Israel
funding terrorist allies including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis.
Casualty. Conservative estimates put the number of protesters killed by the Iranian regime at at least 5,777, while some sources cite figures as high as 30,000.
📌 Context. The EU has debated listing the IRGC before, but political hesitation from major nations have repeatedly slowed the move.
A terrorist designation would mean an asset freeze, a ban on providing funds, and travel bans on all IRGC members, even though many are already covered by EU sanctions.
🇷🇺 RUSSIA
Russian Casualties At 1.2M
Russian Storm-Z troopers
A new CSIS report says Russia has suffered over 1.2 million battlefield casualties in Ukraine, and warns the attrition could drive combined losses on both sides to 2 million by April if the pace holds.
The Kremlin dismissed the estimate.
Ukraine’s military has published a similar running total for Russian losses.
Report. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington thinktank, published its estimate Wednesday after compiling information it says came from military personnel, intelligence services, and various governments.
Numbers. CSIS estimates Russia has suffered 1.2 million battle casualties since the February 2022 full-scale invasion, including 325,000 killed.
It puts Ukrainian casualties at 500,000-600,000, including 100,000-140,000 killed.
Ukraine has pegged Russian casualties at around 1.23 million.
Pushback. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the report should not be treated as credible, arguing that only Russia’s Defense Ministry is authorized to publish loss figures.
